


The Author & The Agent

by Ultra



Category: Gilmore Girls, White Collar
Genre: Alternate Universe, Awkward Conversations, Crossover, Gen, Getting to Know Each Other, New York City, Timeline What Timeline, Walk Into A Bar
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-16
Updated: 2020-06-16
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:15:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24758419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ultra/pseuds/Ultra
Summary: Jess Mariano goes into a bar and meets... Clinton Jones!
Relationships: Jess Mariano & Clinton Jones
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4
Collections: A Ficathon Goes Into A Bar





	The Author & The Agent

The first thing that Jess noticed was the very attractive woman tending bar. She took his order with a dazzling smile and her well-maintained figure was able to be viewed to full effect as she got him his beer from a shelf a short distance away.

“I really wouldn’t bother.”

Jess turned to the dark-skinned man leaning on the bar beside him, in time to see him taking a swig of his own drink.

“Your girlfriend?” Jess checked curiously.

“Just a friend, and a colleague, actually,” the other man explained with an amiable smile, “but I can tell you right now, you’re not her type.”

In that moment, the bartender returned, placing Jess’ beer in front of him and taking his cash for the purchase. She continued to smile at him, though he knew that wasn’t a guarantee from people in the service industry. They lived mostly on tips, so being friendly was a large part of the job. He should know, he had done his fair share of bar work and waitering, long before the publishing house came along.

“She only goes for guys in suits or something?” Jess asked the mystery man beside him, taking a long drink from his beer bottle.

“No,” he said, smirking as he shook his head. “She prefers _women_ in suits.”

Jess’ eyes widened just a touch. “Huh.”

He wasn’t sure why he was surprised exactly. Maybe he was just old-fashioned sometimes. It had been said. After all, he wouldn’t give up his books in favour of an e-reader for anyone, and the only person who ever truly understood that was Rory.

Sipping his drink, he was happy enough to let the moment pass and enjoy his beer, putting off the moment when he knew he was going to have to go and pay a visit to an old friend he would sooner forget. New York didn’t hold all that many good memories for him in the first place and he really wouldn’t be here if he didn’t have to be.

“You know, you look real familiar,” said the same guy from before, staring so much when Jess looked his way that he started to wonder if the bartender wasn’t the only person more attracted to their own sex than the opposite.

“Pretty sure we never met before,” Jess assured him, shaking his head. “I’m usually good with faces.”

“Me too. In my line of work, you have to be,” he said, showing Jess a very shiny badge.

“FBI?” he checked, swallowing hard. “Hey, I pulled a few pranks in my day, and trust me, I met my share of cops - more thanks to my mom than anything I did - but I have never come close to being in trouble with you guys,” he said, studying the ID next to the badge. “You got the wrong guy, Agent Jones.”

“I never said I thought I knew you professionally,” Jones assured him with a friendly smile. “I just know I’ve seen you somewhere before, or your picture anyway. Black and white,” he said as the thought seemed to occur to him, “inside of a black book jacket... Jess Mariano!” he said suddenly, snapping his fingers as he got it at last.

“Wow, that’s some recall you have,” said Jess himself. “Also, you must be one of those poor saps that actually read my book. My condolences on that.”

Jones chuckled and shook his head. “Wow, an author that doesn’t like his own work.”

“You think everything you do in your work is the best it can be?” Jess challenged him.

He looked thoughtful a moment, then shrugged. “I’m an FBI agent. If the bad guys are in jail, I’m doing a hell of a job,” he said, smirking hard.

At that, Jess laughed too, eyes following the bartender as she passed by again. “Hey, you said colleague before,” he said to Jones, gesturing to the woman with his free hand. “She’s...”

“Able to kick your ass seven ways from Sunday before you can say, ‘Thank you, ma’am’?” Jones nodded. “Oh, yeah.”

There were so many possible answers to that, Jess decided he wasn’t going to venture any of them, not this time. Finishing off his beer, he realised he shouldn’t put off his visit any longer and got up to go, pulling on his jacket and lifting a hand in a gesture of goodbye to Agent Jones.

“Nice meeting you.”

“You too,” he replied with a smile. “Hey, if you ever write a sequel to _The Subsect_ , send a copy along to the FBI HQ, would you? White Collar division.”

Jess shook his head, still chuckling at what he saw as a joke, all the way to the door. Before he had quite managed to leave the building, he stopped and turned to glance back. Jones and the bartender were talking in whispers now, thankfully not paying any mind to Jess anymore. That probably meant this was all a coincidence anyway, and if not, well, at least he was aware now that he may have picked up a tale. He’d have to tell Mozzie all about it when he got over to Caffrey’s new place and just hope it didn’t mean trouble.


End file.
